Time of My Life
by Meilin Li
Summary: While on a journey to discover herself, Meiling finds love in the least likely person ...
1. Prologue

**Time of My Life**

Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own them.

AN: After all the beginnings and middles, but never the endings I've written. I promise. This one, I'm going to finish. I'm just not sure how long it'll be however.

_Fly a little higher. Try a little harder._

It's funny how the morals of my family stick by me to this day. Even after all the trouble I did to get away from them.

I suppose one really can't get away from who they're born to be.

Hoping that one day I would get to work to my heart's content teaching martial arts I moved to the oddest place imaginable but not very unexpected.

America.

More specifically, Hawaii.

Hey, don't look at me all funny like that; there was a reason why the country is known as the land of the free. 

I'd be free there!  From practically every single thing that had held me down before.  It'd be awesome!

Moreover why not? I mean I had only heard the best things about these islands in the middle of the Pacific. Besides I could speak English perfectly well.

Hawaii was beautiful, care-free, and more or less ... secluded.

And so I had hopped onto a plane after explaining extensively to Syaoran and Wei that I, Meiling Li was to move to Hawaii, USA ... in about two hours.

You should've seen Syaoran's expression. It was priceless. I thought he was going to faint from the lack of oxygen.

Wei on the other hand, was pretty open minded about the whole thing. And now that I think about it, the Clan was pretty lenient on my decision too, I know suspicious huh?

But the new Clan Elders, now led by my Uncle Quei said that it would be a nice new experience for me. It would be fun, I would be the first female to ever go to America. Huh, another first.

Yeah you should've seen my mothers face when they told _her_ that.

New experience? Yeah right. My mother would hear none of those things.

She almost went ballistic. I think she would have if Syaoran's mother hadn't been there to calm her down. There was no one to take care of me over there, no family, no friends, no nothing! I would have to start over, she had said.

I, of course knew this already. Why else do you think I want to go there, I wanted to ask but I bit my lip and held it in.

I knew she would be sad if I had spouted that, so ... she didn't have to know.

After several rants about staying away from strangers, picking a nice neighborhood to settle in, and something about not dressing too slutty-ish, she finally decided to let me go. But not after a few more hours of fussing and trying to pack for me.

My step-dad even offered to buy me a plane ticket ... I just think he wanted to get rid of me again. He never really liked me at all since he married Mother six years ago ... especially after I punched him in the face a few Christmases back. But that story is for another time.

All I have to say is that I deny all claims as to my knowledge of how the hair dye mysteriously turned out to be a different colour than what was said on the box.

Of course the free plane tickets was not to be rejected, I mean I'm all for the not taking money from your poor parents part, but really I needed to save all the money I could get my hands on.

Furthermore, they were far from poor. It wasn't like I was robbing them or something.

So that's how I got a free one way ticket to Japan for final goodbyes. And an all expenses paid trip to Hawaii! Well, until I got there and had to pay my landlord that is.

I knew the move was going to be wacky, but oh boy. I didn't know it was going to be like _this_.


	2. Chapter 1

**Time of My Life **

_Chapter 1_

Oh god I feel like I've lost money instead of gaining more.

Damn the exchange rate!

And everything is so overpriced here!

Gah, let me start from the beginning.

The plane ride was great.  _Father dearest _had paid for first class, of course nothing lower than that for a member of the Clan.

I had steak on the plane. 

Yeah, it was _that_ high class.

Anyway, it was wonderful while I was flying in.  The little scattered islands were as beautiful as I had imagined it. 

Extremely … green.

The population seemed pretty nice too.

People were very much welcoming at the gate, I could see my fellow passenger's loved ones waiting with … something they called _leis_. 

It was basically a garland of fresh flowers that they put around the neck.  But they smelled so heavenly!  Especially the white and yellow ones. 

And I know because the guy standing next to me got it flung around his neck and basically into my face.

But I didn't mind really, because the said person, who flung, immediately apologized and offered me a lei too. 

I couldn't resist.

Things went wonderful until I stepped out of the taxi and realized how expensive it was.  I gave the woman fifty dollars and she gave me back five dollars and twenty four cents. 

That was more than 300 bucks back at home in China.  Sigh.

I had rented a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment in an old hotel now turned building, in the middle of tourist central.  Or that's what the taxi lady told me.

"Careful, pretty thing like you wouldn't want to mess with the wrong crowd," she told me before rolling up the window and driving away.

I almost scoffed at her comment.  'Course I was careful.  And when did I ever mess with the wrong crowd? 

Licking my lips, I dropped my suitcases and hitched my duffle bag higher onto my shoulder as I struggled with the intercom. 

Now what was it?  Oh yeah, A803.

Apparently the manager was supposed to let me in.  We exchanged a few words over the little metal box to confirm I was who I said I was and then it happened. 

As soon as I heard the incessant buzz that signaled the opening of the door; I _knew_ the noise would drive me insane if I ever heard it again.

Thank _god_, I would be getting my keys in about two minutes.

Third floor, three doors to the right.  Aha!  Easy to remember, 33!

But I didn't really need that to find my apartment.

The manager was at my door and he barely looked at me as he tossed me a set of keys.  One for the lobby door, another for the elevator, one for my mail box and another two for my apartment. 

Gosh, think five keys is enough?  Back in Japan and even China, I was all set with two keys, three at the most. 

Before I opened my mouth to respond he spoke first in a very gruff voice that sounded like he just woke up, "Rent's due on the fifteenth of every month.  Five hundred and fifty for yours.  And … " 

He scratched the back of his head as he thought.  "Oh yeah, your parking.  26 got it?"

I nodded and smiled, "Thanks!"  And then I began to scrap with the door.  Yes, we really did battle for ten whole minutes.

Okay, it was really me doing the battling and the door knob just resisting.

As I tried all five keys I really, really, _really_ hoped that the apartment wasn't a roach infested motel looking place.  Cause I couldn't stand it if it was. 

Hey even I had standards. 

But thankfully, it wasn't.  It was sparsely furnished, with an old beat up couch and a small coffee table. 

Great, no furniture.  Well … at least it didn't look _that _bad.  The room smelled faintly of fresh paint, which I supposed was slapped on only a couple weeks before. 

And hey!  The lights worked.

Hmm …

The kitchen was on the right and looked okay.  Well actually I wouldn't call it a kitchen; it was more of a little niche in the middle of nowhere.

And two doors was plastered straight ahead, bathroom and bedroom I supposed. 

I opened the door to inspect the bathroom, and well … whaddaya know?  It was looking pretty high tech.  Honestly, it looked new to me. 

Even better!

But the bed.  Oh the bed.  It was horrible. 

As I threw my stuff into the room I vowed to myself that the first thing I'd do in the morning, was to find a new bed.

I sighed as I looked to the bed again.  Gross.  New sheets too.

And … will you looky here! 

Whoa.  Whoa.  Whoa.  Double whoa!  And did I say holy shit yet?

Well, "Holy shit."

Mother was obviously worried because on top of my clothing in the red suitcase, there it was; shiny, small, and plastic.

_Meiling, I hope this will help.  Yelan had helped me set up your account.  It's a surprise going away gift.  I didn't want my little girl without money _and_ everything familiar in __America__.   And don't forget to call me every night!!_

_With lots of love, Mommy_

I swear, I almost choked on my own saliva.  WHOA again.

I am _definitely_ going shopping tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 2

**Time of My Life **

_Chapter 2_

AN: Is anyone even reading this? o-o; Hellooo out there?

It was that very morning as I woke up feeling the most wonderful feeling: freedom.

Though it was almost noon when my eyes peeked at my watch and I had a throbbing headache from my head telling me that it was still 2 in the morning.

I tried to ignore the feeling as I had another taxi drop me off at a place called Z-Homes.

And let me tell you now, it had the greatest furniture a girl could want.

I bought my bed, my sparkling new bed, queen sized mind you and a red coloured couch.

Heh heh, this place was so modern; I wanted my home to look just like it.

I also got a couple of those scoop stool chairs and a nice coffee table along with a book and cabinet set for various reasons of course.

To be delivered exactly three days from now.

…I seriously didn't think I could wait that long. I will not survive spending another night in that bed.

Oh yes … I almost forgot.

… Yeah right I call my own bluff. I wish I could forget _this _figure. But I can't seem to shake the bill.

It came out to exactly, three thousand six hundred thirty four dollars and sixty two cents.

Ouch.

But thankfully the little credit card that rode with me all the way to paradise held more than that.

But not much more I'm afraid.

If I was going to keep living here, I knew I had to get a job.

And fast.

But as I took another taxi to get home to my _humble_ abode, I realized I wasn't particularly qualified for any high paying, office working job.

Great. Just great.

How am I going to get myself out of this one?

Perhaps I could get the Clan to fix up some quick papers for me?

Yeah right, I'm probably dreaming if I think the Clan would lie like that.

Truth and honesty Meiling…!

Whoa.

I must have dozed off as I wondered about my future on that stinky old couch, 'cause the next thing I knew, the sky was dark, the walls were shaking and there was loud whooping coming from next door.

... Oh god, oh god.

I really hoped that this wouldn't happen every weekend because … I would just die of sleep deprivation. I could see it now.

The throbbing head ache was still there in the front lobe of my brain, but the bass pumping through the walls had made it that much worse.

A growl left my throat instinctively, I was so going to kick whoever's ass was throwing that damned party.

And as I slammed my door to knock on my neighbors, my neighbor's door flew open and I almost tripped into the girl that had opened it.

Okay to be frank with you, I ended up sprawled on the ground, half of me in the hallway and the other half in the gloomy apartment.

Even from my unfortunate position on the floor, I could see into the apartment around the girl's feet. Needless to say, my home would probably be jealous of this one's furnishings.

"Ugh…" This was so not the way to meet people.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay …" I tried to stand up taller, to look over her shoulder, but I was short. Way shorter than she was.

The brunette before me, shot me the friendliest smile I've ever seen, "Are you Dean's friend?"

"Uh…no." I pursed my lips then, replying flatly, "I'm the neighbor."

"Oh!" Her blue eyes looked as if it were about to pop out of her sockets, but then quickly turned around and looked a bit apologetic, "Sorry 'bout the noise, but I don't think it's going to go down until morning ... "

My glare must have looked pretty menacing because she bared her teeth at me again, this time in a wide grin, "You must be the _new_ neighbor huh?"

I was suspicious, how did she know? "Yeeeah…" I strung out.

Her eyes were shining. "The lady you rented it from probably only asked for five hundred didn't she?"

"How did you know?"

"Because we do this all the time and she must've gotten fed up," she replied knowingly a smirk beginning to form on her sparkling pink lips.

I silently fumed in my spot. And people were going to tell me this _when_? That lady only gave it to me 'cause she knew the noise was too much? Wonderful and I had thought people here were honest. My mistake. "Doesn't the manager get mad?"

She laughed as she pulled me into the apartment when more people arrived, "He doesn't care, not like he can hear us. He lives on the 8th floor."

Flipping her brunette hair over her shoulder, she seemed to think for a moment before she invited me to stay. "Dean won't mind," seemed to be her only reason.

I sighed and nodded, knowing that if I made my way back to the apartment I'd still have to deal with the noise. And though the headache was blaringly obvious now as I came closer to the source, I was actually craving some human interaction.

With people my age of course; though it might have been contrary to popular belief.

"I'm Mai," she told me as she dragged me over to get a drink from the kitchen.

"Meiling," I said as I let my eyes roam around the room, "Hey…how come this place is-"

"Larger?" Mai asked with that smile again, "Because there are different types of apartments on each floor. A couple are larger than others."

She laughed as the realization dawned on my face. I just asked the stupidest question ever …

"Hey c'mon I'll introduce you to some friends of mine."

I let her lead me over to where a bunch of people seemed to be talking and laughing. Immediately I felt left out as she jumped right into the conversation. I wanted to slink back into my apartment and curl up on the old couch.

It only took her a moment to remember I was standing right next to her when I glanced at the door. She looked stern, though her cheerful voice betrayed the effect she was going for, "Ooh, you're not going anywhere."

Oh god. Her friends were all staring at me like I was fresh meat in a lion's den. And the reassuring smile she shot my way did little to calm my nerves.

Mai started with the girl to her left, a tall blonde that went by the name of Chris.

Next came a red headed male that went by the name of Adam. And I must say he wasn't that bad looking. For a guy with the look of a well known womanizer that is.

And that's how it went as she named off all six that was standing in the circle.

Kaipo was a tanned youth with black hair and shining brown eyes. He seemed friendly enough as he gave me a nod of his head.

Beside him was an Asian looking female that went by the name of Tawny. Her blue streaked hair and outrageous outfit made me wonder if she was an eccentric artist.

Johnny lounged beside her in a bright yellow shirt and bleached out blonde hair. His laid back attitude and easy smile caused me to raise an eyebrow at him which only made his grin widen.

As I glanced at the last two standing in the circle, two pairs of identical green eyes twinkled back at me from right beside me.

One boy and one girl, though the boy was steadily taller than the girl. The girl waved, her smile identical to the boy's as she swept some brown hair from her face. "And these are the twins. That's Alveire and that's _Justice_," Mai had said while first pointing to the girl and then the boy; though her tone on the boy's name was a bit more teasing.

The boy glanced sharply at her with a glare and reintroduced himself, "_Jay_."

My attention wasn't on him however it was on the male that had carefully slipped himself between the twins.

He had bright blue eyes which were wise beyond his years and sharp angled features. Looking like a mix between eastern and western descent, his hair was the color of midnight. But as the light bounced off of the silky strands, it became clear that his hair was not of the ravenous color but rather of the darkening midnight sky. A deep, deep cobalt colour. His smirk was not lost upon me as his attention lingered on me, the new comer.

But then something clicked behind those cerulean blues of his. 

"And this is-"

"_Eriol?_" I whispered the same time as Mai did, eyes a bit wider than normal.


	4. Chapter 3

**Time of My Life**

_Chapter 3_

I thought he would've been happy to see me. And if not that, he would've at least given me a welcoming smile.

Yeah it didn't happen.

In fact his countenance paled visibly, so much that I thought he was going to fall over.

His voice was horse when he spoke and those blue eyes of his trailed against my face uncomfortably, "_Meiling_?"

"You know each other?" Mai's voice seemed to be ecstatic. "That's great!"

A sly look developed on the red-head's face as he poked fun at Eriol, "Another one night stand man?"

However his expression faded immediately seeing that Eriol wasn't in his usual joking mood. The others just frowned at him and his big mouth; including me, who shot him the infamous death glare, which I learned from Syaoran.

By this time though, I still wasn't sure if Eriol was going to bolt, which he seemed to be seriously considering. Or, if he was going to pull me over, sit me down and give me the whole, "What are you doing here?" speech.

I was hoping for none of the two.

Because half of the reason why I'm here in the first place, just flew out the window with that pretty boy face of Eriol Hiiragizawa.

What were the chances of this even happening? Agh! I must have the most rotten luck in the world.

But as I glanced at his face, we actually seemed to be on the same level. His expression was tight and his lips were pursed. I could tell he was as happy to see me as I was to see him.

Wonderful. Simply wonderful.

And it was at that exact moment as I opened my mouth to say something that I realized everyone was looking at me weirdly. Concerned even.

I turned to shake my head and tell them that everything was fine, but I lost my balance and toppled over.

As I was going down I could see Eriol's blue eyes enlarge considerably. The last thing I felt was Mai gripping my left arm, "_Meiling_?!"

I supposed it was some time later when I woke. I noticed two things thing straight off the bat. The steady beat of the bass and the loudness factor was gone.

At least the headache was for the most part, gone.

I would've stood up and cheered but my body felt achy when I shifted on the bed.

Wait a minute … bed?

My mind does _not_ remember even _getting_ into bed yester … is that Eriol?

I blinked a couple times.

And true to my eyesight there he was, haphazardly sprawled in _my suitcase_.

Yes it was big enough to fit many things, but it wasn't _that _big.

I sputtered as I tried to get out of my bed. "What the – ACK!"

Being the graceful person that I was, my feet had decided to trip over the sheets in my haste.

Eriol stirred and then he opened his eyes to blink at me.

I didn't miss the tinkle that gleamed in those calculating blue depths.

Still though, from my awkward position on the floor, I didn't want to let anything go. "What are you doing here? How did I get here?"

"You shouldn't have been running around after flying in so soon." That oh so familiar smirk was infuriating!

"Yeah?" I challenged as I pulled myself up. "What do you know."

He seemed quite comfortable in his seat as he shifted and yawned, "Plenty."

I was irritated; first he stared at me at my neighbor's as if I was some alien. And then he decides to smush all of my stuff!

"Will you get _out _of my suitcase _please_?" I set my notorious glare on him, but it didn't seem to faze him one bit.

The look he gave me was far from humble, "But I _like _it here." The blue haired wonder seemed to have slipped back into his suave nature; totally different from before.

It was a side I only remember all too well before he left Tomoeda.

It was with the emergence of _that_ trait that Tomoyo Daidouji had fallen for him. But I had an inkling that it was before that.

Now exactly _what_ the mauve haired best friend of Sakura Kinomoto saw in him was practically incomprehensible.

"Ugh." I was so completely frustrated at that point that I could only express my annoyance in an unintelligible grunt as I yanked the sheets off of me and stepped into my living room.

… There were people in my living room playing board games.

_Did they have nothing better to do?_

It was only in due time that they finally noticed my slight shadow and looked up at me, smiles on their face.

"Meiling!" Mai jumped from her spot on the ratty couch and looked me over, "Are you alright?"

My throat was dry when I spoke, so I sounded like a dying frog. "Yeah," I managed to croak out. "I'm fine."

"Woooh girl, you didn't seem fine to me! Fainted like a bean pole!" That came from Kaipo who was grinning from the couch.

_A bean pol_e? What in the world was _that_?

Johnny sniggered from behind me and I jumped, "Hey man, I don't think she knows what you're talking about."

"Where did _you _come from?" My heart was beating faster than usual.

He shrugged and shoved a finger at the bathroom, "That's one sweet room you got there."

Tawny who was sitting on the floor sketching, looked disgusted, "The _bathroom_ John? You're disgusting."

My mouth immediately lifted into a small curl as I spotted Tawny. So she _is_ an artist.

I was stupid enough to proclaim my genius to them, "I was right! You _are _an artist!"

"You get excited _way _too easily girl." Adam laughed outright from his seat next to Kaipo.

The blush that crept up my neck and soon reached the tips of my ears burned. "Oh just ignore them Meiling. They're just here 'cause they don't wanna go home."

Then Mai looked at them and then back at me, "You don't mind do you?"

Deciding that it wasn't at all a good idea to shake my head again, seeing as what happened last time, I replied instead, "No ... it's fine."

It was then that Johnny spoke up again behind me, this time he was leaning on the doorframe of the bathroom. I had almost forgotten about him.

"Maybe you should put on some clothes … "

Holy … shit. Tell me I wasn't naked. Tell me I wasn't naked. I was almost afraid to look down.

Oh _right_. Not completely naked, but I nearly was!

Someone had stripped me down to my underwear and had placed a short bathrobe on me. The bathrobe in which was virtually open from the waist up.

My eyes shot up and met each of the five people in my room, all of whom had amused smiles playing on their faces.

I backed up slowly, question in my eyes.

Mai knew and I could see the humour in her blue eyes, "You had a fever earlier and when you fainted your drink spilled all over your clothes."

I shot a glance at the boys smirking on the couch and then over at Johnny, "They didn't … "

"No of course not," came the soothing voice from behind me as I backed into its owner. "I did."

At that I twirled on my heel and pointed a finger in his face, "Eriol Hiiragizawa!"

He looked about to laugh at me when Mai spoke up, "You wish Eriol. Don't worry Meiling, Tawny and I did."

Relief seemed to flood my senses for a minute before I looked up at Eriol again and his _that_ smirk was on his face. Knowing I was fuming he stepped out of my way with a gallant gesture and held my bedroom door open for me.

I slammed it shut after me, shoving him out.


End file.
